Monday, December 7, 2009

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna

This was a fantastic lasagna! Garlic (lots of it), and butternut squash were in the original recipe, and I added in spinach to compliment the flavors and add some color (not to mention some good-for-you by products). Our guests said they enjoyed it more than "regular" lasagna. I think the combination of flavors makes this roasted butternut squash lasagna one for the family recipe book.

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 450 for about 45 minutes, until soft when pricked with a fork.

Allow the squash to cool for about 20 minutes, and then scoop out the squash into a large bowl. I had about 3 loosely packed cups of squash.

Smash the squash well, so the large pieces are eliminated.

Heat butter in a skillet, cook and stir in garlic until softened and the garlic smells great!

Add in flour (again, I used white whole wheat), and then continue cooking for about 3 minutes.

Add in the milk -- whisk until smooth. I added the milk little bits at a time, and stirred until smooth.

Bring to a simmer, and cook until the mixture thickens -- about 10 minutes. Stir in the squash (this would be great with leftover squash too!) and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Grease a 3-quart baking dish (or, double the recipe and make a 9x13 baking dish). And, preheat the oven to 375.

Beat the whipping cream until foamy and add in a little salt until peaks form. Then, set aside.

Pour 1/2 C of the butternut squash sauce into the baking dish and place lasagna noodles over the top in a single layer.

Spread half of the sauce over the noodles, half of the spinach, and sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan cheese.

Place another layer of noodles on top, the remaining sauce, the remaining spinach, and one third of the Parmesan cheese. Place the final layer of noodles over the top.

Pour the whipped cream over the top of the lasagna. Make sure all those noodles are covered.

Then, sprinkle with the remaining third of the Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil (I just used the cover to my casserole dish), and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake until the top is bubbly and brown, about 10 more minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy paired with a yummy garlic bread!

It was so tasty, despite the strange aspect of pouring whipping cream over the top! Hope you enjoy it.

When cooking, please make sure to follow kitchen hygiene and safety -- cook meat until internal temperature is at safe levels, always check labels for allergens, and use caution in the kitchen -- I love sharing recipes, but I am not liable for damages done as a result of trying these recipes.